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2012-05-26 - Heroes Crisis: Like Rats in a Maze
Fantomex was on what he thought an ideal job. Except, someone unpleasent was waiting for him. The guards weren't what he was expecting, and they were too numerous. Still, pride had him not turn back. So he came up against the military force of Weapon Plus. Not a happy surprise, especially since getting overwhelmed ended up with him getting shot. Still, just when he thought he was in trouble, he realized that was the easy part. Because suddenly, dark shadows gripped him and pulled him into this roundabout place. Still, the bullet wound stopped bleeding a while ago, but he hasn't had a breather until now. He was fighting off robots, and he completely cut up a Minataur, and he finally found a place that appears to not have anything moving or twitching right now. E.V.A. is inside him, so the pain is getting pretty bad. When Fantomex finally sits down, it is with a thankful breath and he finally starts to inspect his wound as he leans against the wall. Yep, no longer bleeding, but the white shirt has blood stains about the hole in it. "Fucking bastards," he complains in a heavily French accented voice. He needs to get the bullet out. Jono and Paige had decided that the first time they went out to a movie together, it was so nice.... might as well do it a second time. The movie's rather scary actually - "The Darkness that Walks" It's about a big, nebulous blob which attacks a town. Considering what they go through on a daily basis, though, Paige actually found it a bit silly. Waiting to leave until the credits have run and everyone else has left, Paige gets up with Jono and starts to head out. "I mean... the idea's scary I guess... but yknow, once you've dealt with half the things we've dealt with, sorta hard to jus' be scared of the dar-" And that's when the glob of darkess that was forming behind them whipped out tendrils, pulling both Jono and Paige into it, leaving nothing behind. Gone is Alex Summer's jacket, gone is Supergirl's cape. Candi is currently wearing the froofiest version of an Alice dress. Blue, white pinafore, lots of ruffles and lace. She arrives on her hands and knees in a puff of black smoke, and as she arrives she screams, fumbling along on the ground in front of her as if to grab something. When she instead ends up scrabbling in the dirt, she reaches up to feel at her face, "Hah! Hahaha! I'm alive! I've got my head!" Only then does she have time to scramble to her feet, laughing and crying at the same time. Coming to after a swirl of darkness is Jonothon and Paige. Jono had moved to shield Page from the darkness, hugging her, eyes wiide. His cover was down, his energy leaking forth, bright Hlloween orange. << s'okay, sunshine, I gotcher, >> he path'd do her even as he looked about in awe, wonder, and more than a little confusion and fear. Well, those that know Alice in Wonderland know the Red Queen had gotten her hand on poor Candi. Fantomex pauses in his inspection, suddenly hearing insane laughter and crying. He isn't alone. He works to push the pain to the back of mind again as he forces himself to stand up, starting to follow the maze wall toward the sound that Candi is making. Okay, one second, they were in the theater. Next, they're in what looks like a series of hallways or something, Jono holding Paige close protectively. The first thing they see? Candi, in a rather froo froo dress right out of an english storybook. Seems a bit hysterical, actually, with the laughing and crying. "What the -" Paige looks around quickly, then at Jono. "What just happened Jono?" Then she sees Candi ahead and heads over quickly. "Candi? Ya okay? What happened, where are we?" She pauses then adds, "And... what are ya wearin'?" << Wot're yer doin' dressed like somethin' out of Lewis Carroll's- y'know wot? We got more important things ter worry about, >> Jono said as he looked around, using himself as a convenient torch in the darkness. He was alert, looking around, on edge - to be sure. This hall looks a bit like the movie Labyrinth, but seemingly even more baron. Great, next they need is goblins and fairies that bite. Still, Fantomex manages to come around a corner to see the teengers. A frown appears behind his mask, a gloved hand covering his wound. Should he reveal himself? He holds back for a few more moments, using the shadows to his advantage. Candi claps at her face and neck a bit more, then when Paige calls out to her she turns to face her. "Paige? Jonothon? I'm alive!" She rushes over to try and join them in hugs, "Oh my god! I'm alive! I hope Alex and the others got away safe." She stops her rush and takes a deep breath, "We all got sucked into Alice and Wonderland, but the horror version. Really scary...and uh...where am I now?" Okay...we got to start like, being really careful okay? If this is like the other, then it is super dangerous! There were monsters and stuff all around. So...stay close, and be ready to blast shit." Paige Guthrie looks at Candi, then at Jono. Monsters? Okay... better do something about that. "Well... luckily ah carry mah uniform with me at all times, don't I?" She then proceeds to pull at her skin, ripping it off, now made of organic steel instead. It's a good compromise of strength and invulnerability, after all. She then offers her hand to Candi. "Cmon, let's find a way outta this... welll.... maze, ah guess?" << Paige, I thought yer loved that shirt! >> Jono exclaimed as he saw her shed her clothing, and epidermis. << We need ter keep close, yeah. Here, >> he shucked his handy leather jacket and offered it to Candi. As he did so, his biokinetic energy started to brighten with subtle manipulation, being the benefit (and detriment) of a light source to himself and his companions. << Make some safety bubbles or somethin', Candi. >> Oh ya, totally not coming out to introduce himself. Fantomex does /not/ feel like getting blasted like shit. Oh...now, that was...distrubing. And sort of erotic too. Maybe that's just cause Fantomex had a twisted upbringing. Suddenly, there is the sound of pounding feet heard down the hall as things seem to 'light up'. Torches that hang upon the walls being to light up, and Fantomex has to half dodge about the corner quickly to remain hidden. From the other side of the girls there are mini-dragon-like rides with goblins atop them. They carry spears and mean expressions as they jibber jabber! They wear helmets with upraised visors, and armor. Yep, things are about to get hectic. Candi gasps at the sound of feet, "Ah! The Queen's cards!" She steps past Jono and Paige, then forms a bubble. She blows it up until it fills the hallway completely, wedging itself against the walls. She gives a bit more of a push to wedge it more tightly in place. Then she looks to the others, "I don't know if that will stop them, but we need to get moving! If you stop one, others come. I don't think they ever stop. This is some strange dream world thing." Paige Guthrie looks at Jono, then at the goblin things on mini-dragons coming towards them. "Ah do like the shirt. Ah like not gettin' skewered more." As she gets ready to have to deal with spears and dragons, the bubble forms to block off the hallways from the attackers. She pauses. "Not bad Candi! Allright. Well, if they're comin' There are 3 other ways to go. Left, right, straight ahead?" << Left. Always left. Never right, s'where Jason or Freddy's always waitin',>> Jono said, and took off toward the left, trailing his strange energy behind him. << Come on! Hope that bubble lasts awhile, Candi! >> Candi doesn't have the greatest of faith in that first bubble, because she lays another 'egg' after that one, then races to catch up. "I don't know how to find Alex. We need to find him. Stay together. Professor X will find us if we stay together." She pants as she races after them in her pretty dress, carrying Jono's jacket in her off hand. "This place looks different than Wonderland. I don't know what this place is." Maybe those kids aren't so useless after all. Though he can't seem to figure out anything from Jono other than the kid's about to start running. Thus he goes further down the hall, knowing they are heading in this direction. He moves to sit down and hopes there is not sudden blasting toward him and stretches out while leaning against the wall. He moves his hand away from his side, revealing the bloody hole there. His blue eyes close. He doesn't want to lay it on too thick, but Fantomex is definately setting it up for compassion rather than OMG, shoot it! Paige Guthrie looks back at Candi, "Ah had 5 brothers and one sorta nerdy sister. Feels to me like some sorta Dungeons and Dragons thing." Then she runs ahead with her classmates, taking point (since in organic steel she's probably the most durable of the bunch) when she spots Fantomex against the wall. "Hey... found someone, he looks injured!" She kneels over to check his wound. "Hey, mister? Ya okay? Did one of those goblin things stab you?" Wish she had some first aid stuff. Jonothon hung back, lagging behind quite intentionally. Mostly because if that bubble and the second egg ceased, he's there to provide everything a dragon can against goblins... only significantly worse. << Make sure he's alright... and not trying ter backstab us. >> Candi rushes along after Jono and Paige, until Jono lags back behind her. She isn't particularly sure what he does, but it is a safe bet he is more powerful than she is, like everyone on the team. "Don't get too far behind Jonothon. I can't drop bubbles if you're behind us." Then she stops to look at Fantomex and the kneeling Paige, "He could be a trap. Is he hurt?" She digs in the petticoats of her surt and tugs some ruffles free with a loud rip, "Here! This can help with that bleeding." A wince and Fantomex slowly opens his blues eyes, and groans slightly. His eyes quickly scan. The metal female seems...concerned, the steel body is throwing off his reading some. The guy has suspicious body language, he can notice him in the torch light further behind, and the Alice girl? "Americans?" Definately heavy French accent. "Not bleeding now, but will be soon, oui." He seems to smile beneath his white mask. "No goblin things, but robots. That direction," and he hooks a thumb the way the group was heading, "If the halls have not already shifted." Still, there is a loud POP! One bubble down, one to go...it is taking them a while though. "Oui, I think I rather face what I know, than what I do not." He moves to stand with a bit of a struggle as Candi comes up with the fabric, "Hold it a little longer young lady. It is not bleeding now, but will soon...when I can rest long enough to get the bullet out." Jono is likely going to find out fairly quickly that he cannot use telepathy on this guy. Paige Guthrie nods and takes the strip of cloth. "Yeah. We're Americans. Well... he's English, but we're all in America now. Ah mean,, not now now, right now we're in who knows where." She shakes her head to check the wound. "How are ya gonna get the bullet out? Looks sorta deep." She shakes her head. "Do you know how ya got here?" Candi steps past Jono, pushing him back so she can squeeze another bubble into place. "They are popping my bubbles. And they are probably going to pop them quicker each time, now that they know how to do it. Practice makes perfect." She grunts to get a good squeeze, then looks back, "I got plenty of ruffles, but we don't want to use them to stop bleeding unless we have to. Are you good enough to run dude? I can ride you on a bubble if we need too, but you running with us is a better bet than me driving." "I can do it. Water makes it easier, but no matter. One does what one must strange looking one." But the words are not said harshly, more teasingly. "Are you a robot like Vision?" Vision is a well-known Avenger. He hides the fact he saw earlier very well. But then to Candi, "I will run because I must. I just need a quiet place for a few minutes, and some defense in case, then I can get the bullet out." Fantomex then starts to move. His running is a little off, but already the second bubble can be heard going POP! The third will only hold them so long. Fantomex works his mind to see if the maze has changed. Suddenly, the group comes to a dead end. "It changed." No kidding sherlock. He couldn't affect the robots or the Minatour like he should have been able to with his misdirection. It wasn't as effective. Could he handle the goblins, or let the kids do it? "Oui, we make our stand. They are not real, something is very wrong about this place." Paige Guthrie looks over at Fantomex, "No, I'm not. Think we should probably hold off on personal histories til we're outta this place. Tho that injury don't look that imaginary to me." She looks over at Candi. "Candi, make another bubble for a sec. Ah'm gonna try something that the mice woulda done if they could. Shortcut when dealin' with mazes. Specially mazes that keep changin'." Then she takes a few steps back, and runs at the wall which seems to have just recently moved into place, from what the guy in the white ski mask is saying. Apparently trying to solve the maze by just busting through the walls. Paige Guthrie is a take charge person! :) Fantomex laughs. "Oh crap!" cries out Candi as they reach the dead end, "Well...I guess this is the part where you and Jonothon fight off the bad guys huh Paige?" Candi puts a bubble up to block the passage once more. She gives a two hand push and a loud grunt, "OKay...That's as tight as I can make it." Then she looks back to see how successful Paige's rhino routine might be. It takes a couple of rounds before Paige finaly bursts through the wall, and Fantomex is there to clap. Of course, it's another small room. "Let's take it. Even if they get through the opening, it will be one at a time. No one lingers behind, we do not want the maze to change with us seperated." Fantomex then motions to usher the teenagers through the opening in the dead end wall Paige opened up, while a very tight bubble is between them and the soon on-coming chargers. A third POP is heard....there is only one bubble left now. First ram - the room quakes as Paige hits the wall. Second one, the thick wall cracks. She takes a step back again and runs at it, crashing through it leaving rubble behind. "And that's how ya get through a maze." She waves the others through. "Cmon, through here. Straight line until we get out?" << I've gotta bad feeling about this,>> Jono said, looking back at the walls of bubbles handily made by Candi. << We need to hurry, wotever we do. Why's our wounded knight not respondin' ter me? Can't hear telepathy?>> he guessed, looking over his shoulder to the women - one in a sweet Alice dress, the other bare and shiny! And Fantomex. Meh, he's not as hot. Worse, he's French. Candi hops through the hole in the wall after Paige cracks through. "This is crazy. I sure hope you've been eating your Wheaties Paige, cause I have a feeling there are a lot more walls to bust through." She creates a small bubble, waiting for everyone else to get through the hole, so she can block it as best she's able. "Come on, come on!" "What has you all up and nervous kid?" Fantomex asks this to Jono, as if knowing something bothers him. But soon enough, everyone is through...and as soon as they are through...everything suddenly changes. The wall behind them becomes solid and metal, and the room becomes expansive. There is no where to hide, nothing to break. But after standing for a few moments to look around, Fantomex takes a quick seat. "Terrible place to be out of it, but think you three can protect me for a few short minutes?" Paige Guthrie frowns. "Oh great." she says as everything changes. "Ah could probably husk into acid but it'll probably just change into somethin' else?" She shrugs a little. Keep that as a backup plan." She looks over at Candi. "Can ya remove the bubble for me and Jono to go through, then put it back up to let um.... ninja guy self-operate?" Then she pauses as she sees that the hole behind them is no longer there. Jonothon simply shrugged. He kept alert as could be, his strange energy starting to pour downward, little 'electric' arcs of orange light touching here and there along the metal floor. << If anythin' comes for us, I'll do wot I can, eh? Les' jes' get him tiptop an' try to figure out where we go next. >> Candi looks around and says, "Oh crap. And...I would but...we are are sort of..." She points to the solid wall (Which I think ate her bubble) "No hole. No bubble. Only you tough guys are getting through that." Then she looks over at Fantomex, "I will do my best. You got a name? Did I miss introductions in my panic? I'm Candi. Uh, Jellybean." Dead end hallway. Break down wall. Go through wall, you see a small room. Once everyone is through, wall changes to solid metal wall and the small room changes to massive room.... No goblins, it is very modern now." Paige Guthrie looks behind where they came through. "Okay.... what?" She looks around at the room they're now in. "Well at least we don't have goblins after us." Candi looks around and says, "Oh crap. What...well. No more maze. But this isn't looking like we have any potential safety spots." She points to the solid wall "But...no goblins." Then she looks over at Fantomex, "I will do my best. This doesn't exactly feel safe, but I don't see us getting a safer spot any time soon. So...take smoke em if you got em." This makes her groan, "God I need a cigarette. You got a name? Did I miss introductions in my panic? I'm Candi. Uh, Jellybean." "Jellybean? That is something you eat right? A little young for me Candi, but I am sure when you are age, you will be very sweet." A blue eye winks at Candi as he sits on the metal floor and pulls a few things out of some pouches to get the bullet out. "Fantomex. Pleasure to meet you all." He then moves to lay down and starts to pull his shirt up to reveal the bloody hole. "I'll be in self-hyponsis, so please give me a few minutes to handle this." He closes his eyes, after taking the one item out of plastic (medical tongs it seems like), and the other is just a square piece of white glaze. Then, without even looking, Fantomex actually starts to perform questionable surgery on himself to get the bullet out, feeling around inside the hole of his side. Pity it didn't go all the way through. He doesn't wince in pain...yet. You kids should really get trained for do-it-yourself too! Totally fun! Paige Guthrie looks back at Fantomex. "That's.... pretty gross." And when someone who rips off her skin says something is pretty gross, it must be pretty gross. She looks around to see how big the room is and any possible exits. Jonothon will get better over time if he's shot. Just kind of how it is for him. << He can't hear me, can he?>> he asked. << Ugh. I'm not about to ask either of yer to translate for me. Just tell 'im my name, an' that I'm mute.>> He furrowed his brow and stepped forward, before letting a burst of his energy arc forward to try to light the way for a moment. Anything? If anything IS there, it knows messing with Jonothon might be a bad idea. Candi looks from Jono to Fantomex, then back again. "No. I don't think he can. Does that mean something?" She grimaces as she watches him do surgery, but she doesn't really fixate on it, instead she turns her attention to the wide open spaces. "Seriously Paige? You rip your skin off. I don't think this is in the ballpark. You just don't watch it from the outside." Then Fantomex's comments sink in, "Hey, did I hit on you pops? I didn't bring my Viagra, Depends, and Geritol." Paige Guthrie looks over at Jono, then at Fantomex. "Um.... Fantomex? The silent guy is Chamber. He's mute... he's been trying to talk to you with telepathy but ... can you hear him at all?" Not that things here really understand fear, especially since they are robots now. Still, there is no response from Fantomex as he works, soon pulling the bloody bullet from his flesh. As he pulls it out, it soon drops off to the side. The glaze is held over the wound, and he seems as if in meditation. His breathing is steady and slow, and he doesn't seem ready to move or do anything to register he has heard - if he has. Jonothon, for the moment, continued to play a light source, taking point and looking around, and also providing himself as a big 'burning' target. Nothing like a man who has a gout of energy pouring from his ruined lower face to paint a picture of, 'look at me, I'm probably dangerous.' << I'm sure he'll come around, but I'll let yer two do the talkin'. >> Jonothon telepath's just to Paige, << By the way, sunshine - lookin' good.>> Paige Guthrie smiles a bit at Jono. "Shucks." Then looks at the others. "I'm going to check the walls of this room to see if there's a secret door or somethin'." Then starts to do that, heading over to the metal walls and feeling around as she moves along the wall. Finally the gaze is removed and Fantomex's eyes open. The wound appears to have healed, and he puts his shirt down. He uses the gaze to pick up the bullet and wipe up the blood, before putting it in the plastic container and putting it back in a pouch as he stands back up, the sword bumping against the floor as he does so. "This appears more like the area I was in before, but wide open. Robots, flying balls that shoot laser beams at you, things like that. Had to stop using my own ammo, don't want to run too low when I might need it." He doesn't dress like a hero or adorn weapons like one. "So...Jellybean, and who are the others?" No, he didn't hear...thus why he needed people to stand guard over him. "Um. Husk. That's her, the one looking at the wall. And the silent fellow, he's um." She ponders for his codename, then remembering, "Chamber. We are on a team together. Sort of superheroes in training. Where are you from Fantomex? And how long have you been here? Do you have any clue what is going on?" Paige Guthrie looks over at Chamber. "Jono can you illuminate around here, it's gettin' dark as I'm searchin the walls." Jonothon nodded. he said as he walked over nearby Paige. He simply stood by her, looking around as well, his odd light casting strange shadows. "I am from Paris, and I have no idea. Some sort of dark shadow grabbed me and suddenly I found myself here. It has been a few hours at least." Ah...Chamber is Jono, Jellybean is Candi, and Husk is...not yet known. "Superheroes in training? It sounds fascainting. However, I am not a superhero, but a thief. However, we do all appear to be mutants, so that may be a common tie to what is going on." These kids don't look to be Weapon Plus trainees by a long shot, he can pick those out quick. Something is very, very wrong. As Paige starts exploring the walls, suddenly she touches something and it becomes to light things up. Not in a pleasent way though. Because as the light comes on, everyone will soon realize they stand in a colored pattern. Each square is a different color, with certain colors repeating such as red, blue, green, and so on. Paige Guthrie stops moving when the lights come on and she sees the colors on the floor. "Oh great. Puzzles!" She looks around. "Feel like we're in that Indiana Jones movie." "Paris? I don't know any French superheroes. I don't know any normal superheroes I guess, so that doesn't mean anything." She forms a bubble about four feet across and hops on top of it, floating it up off the glowing square a few inches. "Umm...guys. This doesn't look very good. I hope you all are good at puzzles, cause um...not me." << Bloody hell,>> Jonothon quipped as the colored lights came up. << Well... no time like the present to experiment. I'm gonna hit one of the panels with a low-powered push. See if it changes color, or... somethin' else 'appens. Let the Frenchie 'ere know, alright? Or... oy! Candi, yer can use yer bubbles ter do the same.>> Paige Guthrie relays the message to Fantomex. "Chamber says he's gonna hit one of the panels to see what happens." She looks around, wondering if maybe they should have stayed with the goblins instead as she looks down at the square she's on - red. Fantomex is standing on a white square. He eyes Jono's green one. "Wait, non! Non, non, non! I do not know how he said that, but push nothing. We do not know what will happen." The words of logic. Geez, he likely sounds like Cyclops right now a little bit. Candi appears to be floating over a red, same as Paige however. << Well that's well an' good, mate, but how will we figure out what ter do without takin' risks? We can't just sit 'ere with our thumbs up our arses - so though I know we got time, we *all* wanna get out of here... wait, why the bloody hell am I even talking?>> Jono sighed exasperatedly. And Fantomex couldn't even hear it. Paige Guthrie looks at Jono, then at Fantomex, "Jono says 'no guts, no glory'" Okay, so she's paraphrasing. "What's your idea then?" Fantomex says, "Colors are: Red, Blue, Green, Black, White, Yellow." Fantomex raises a gloved hand to rub the back of his neck. What should they do? "Fine. Pick a color no one else is standing on. We will see what happens. If this fails, we may all be dead. Oui, oui, no guts, no glory, how right Chamber is." But he also appears to recognize the risks. "How are you supposed to figure out what? You want everyone to stand on different colors? Well...there are four of us and there are one two three four..six colors." She hops off of her bubble, landing on a green square. "So...mathematically, we have how many combinations? We can do sixteen color mbinations without duplicating? And...there are. I dunno." Suddenly, all the green squares activate insanely fast. Sharp wooden spikes stretch from floor to ceiling, stabbing through anything and everything in its way so that it can connect. Only upon connecting and hanging there for a few seconds that feel like an eternity do they retract, slowly back. All in its way...is left with destruction. << Candi, wait- >> But it was too late! Jono tried to jump off his green square, onto the yellow that was next to it. And as the wooden spikes thrust upward, one of them catching a boot - luckily it only made him flip forward and land facefirst on the yellow. ...Partially to his doom. "Is that through his foot?" And as soon as the yellow is hit, suddenly all the yellow squares hit with lightning bolts, anything in its path would have been fried. "Please, no one move." That is Fanotmex's words. "And now I know, you do not think before you leap Jellybean. You almost murdered your fellow hero in training," a bit of dry sarcasm there. No, Fantomex is not impressed. "Looks like I'm babysitting." He then eyes the pattern. "I think I can do this easily enough." RD BE YL GR WH BL BL WH GR YL BE RD WH GR YL BE RD BL YL GR WH BL RD BE GR YL BE RD BL WH GR WH BL RD BE YL YL BE RD BL WH GR WH BL RD BE YL GR BE RD BL WH GR YL BL RD BE YL GR WH BE RD BL WH GR YL BL RD BE YL GR WH RD BL WH GR YL BE BL WH GR YL BE RD RD BE YL GR WH BL Fantomex says, "RD = Red, BE = Blue, YL = Yellow, GR = Green, WH = White, BL = Black" Fantomex's warning is short lived, though, as the other colored squares that everyone is standing on - Fantomex's, Candi's, Jono's and Paige's - each starts glowing. Paige says, "um.... guys, the squares are glowing. That can't be good, right?" Indeed it isnt, as several bright flashes occur a second after Husk says that. Each of the individuals in the room suddenly disappear in a flash of light, leaving the puzzle to be solved and goblins elsewhere to be fought by some other unfortunate group trapped in the Labyrinth.